Pokémon Live
by KamiyaAkuto
Summary: Pokémon has always been a form of entertainment to us. We've played their games, traded their cards, and even watched their crappy anime. But without warning real Pokémon begin to show up in our world, first in the depths of the unexplored jungles and moving their way into our suburbs. Now, fifty years later, the world has changed from their presence...
1. Chapter 1

_The camera was shaking a lot, mostly because it was in the hands of a young boy. Also the raging Amazon River wasn't helping, throwing the deck he stood on into turmoil. The picture was on good quality digital film, catching images of bright birds and lush foliage for which the rain forest was well known. Dazzling sunlight pierced through the thick ensemble of branches wherever it could, illuminating the scene. The boy's voice could clearly be heard over the noise of the engine and occasional squawk of a chattering monkey._

_"Hey Dad- I mean, Professor!" The boy laughed at the inside joke. "We're rolling."_

_A man appeared in the frame as the boy rapidly tweaked the focus. He was in traditional safari garb: light green wide-brim hat with a matching long-sleeved cotton shirt, and khakis tucked into sensible hiking boots. He was a bespectacled young man, pacing the prow of the motor boat as he made sure all his equipment was in order. The professor had a huge grin which was framed by a bushy brown mustache._

_"Yes, thank you," he said, fumbling with several large maps of South America. He addressed the camera the best he could. "This is Professor Lloyd Holly, on the sixth day of my exploration. We are currently tracking the trail left by the mystery animal by following the Amazon River to where we believe the tracks may have originated. Comparing this to the locals' witness accounts, it feels as though we may finally get to the bottom of-"_

_He was cut short as a tremendous roar broke through the normal array of jungle sounds. It was an alien sound, as if it came from a monstrous dragon maw. Sensing danger, all the other creatures became silent, including Professor Holly and his son._

_The footage shook as the boy attempted to regain his nerves. "W-What was that?"_

_"I-I don't know… Let's head for the shore and see what we can find."_

_The video skips ahead to the professor deep in the rain forest, crouching next to an indent about the size of a manhole cover. He scribbled notes onto a pad, all the while inspecting the track with a large magnifying glass._

_"It appears to be fresh," started Professor Holly, "but definitely different than the tracks we found at the village. From what I can gauge this creature is a quadruped…but the footprints are just too big to be anything natural. Just look at the distance between the feet. Whatever it is, it must be absolutely massive!"_

_Suddenly a thunderous sound shook the ground, rustling the trees overhead. The situation becoming very real, the professor shouted, "Get to the boat!" But before either of them could move, a couple of monstrous shapes broke through into the clearing. The camera desperately focused on the two warring creatures: a blue-and-red draconian monster being attacked by what looked at first glance to be the forest itself, but more brontosauri in shape. An unreal turf war had stumbled into the full view of the camera._

_Professor Holly, who had been tossed to the side, shook himself out of his shock and dashed out in front of the camera. All that could be seen was his shirt as the father hoisted his son into his arms and ran. The man could be heard breathing heavily as the battle raged on behind them. The boy was still rendered speechless, but was eventually let down to run on his own._

_They finally came to a stop, deeper in the forest than they had originally intended to go. Neither could say anything at first, not wanting to confirm what they had just seen to be real. Eventually the professor remarked, "Did…did you get all that?"_

_"I think so…"_

_"Good." Professor Holly forced a smile, but even his son could see the wild fear in his eyes. The man grabbed the small camcorder and directed it up at himself, the sky acting as a vivid backdrop behind him. "When we show them what we've seen today…the world will never be the same again."_

_He moves his hand to turn the camera off and as the digital film begins to distort to first grey then black, a small fast movement is seen behind the professor's head…_


	2. Chapter 2

The lights came back on just as the film ended, stirring up a chorus of groans and complaints from the students. It took several minutes for the teacher to quell the teenagers, but even then there were still a half-dozen side conversations taking place. It was the best she could hope for. "So, can any of you guess why I chose to show this film today?"

No one said anything, thinking someone else would take up the question. Eventually a girl tentatively raised her hand.

"Yes, Amber?"

"Does it have something to do with next week?" the girl guessed, sending whispers throughout the classroom. Next week was all anyone could talk about lately, making things very disruptive for the teachers.

"Actually, that's part of it," said the teacher, "but today also happens to be the fiftieth anniversary of the discoveries that came from this film, the 'Day the World Changed Forever'. I suppose that's why the PLA decided to begin next week. This day fifty years ago, Professor Holly's discovery shook the foundations of everything we once believed to be true. An entire new class of animal species was beginning to take hold in all the remote environments of the world and within the year they had settled into urban life."

She took out a small red-and-white ball and held it out so her students could clearly see, then tossed it up into the air. The ball landed on a small release button on its surface and a quick burst of white light filled the room. The students weren't overly impressed by the display, but retained a polite interest as the light formed into a small dog-like creature that resembled a Yorkshire terrier.

"He was the founder of PLA, and is now known today as the Godfather of Pokémon," their teacher continued as the little brown dog ran around her feet. "Can anyone tell me what other contributions Professor Holly has made? Let's see…Grey, please explain."

A boy near the back of the class looked up, not expecting to be called on. Like his namesake, his eyes were slate grey, as well as his dyed rat-tail. He answered somewhat slowly, "Um, he became one of the first Pokémon researchers? And he helped design the first Pokéballs."

"Yes, that's right," she picked up. "Professor Holly was asked to research Pokémon because of his experience in zoology and was an avid supporter for them when people were still scared. He also helped in many of the products we use today, not just the Pokéball. It's mostly thanks to him that Pokémon were so quickly adopted by society." The bell rang, signaling lunch to start. "Oh, it must be later than I thought! Have a good lunch, everyone."

Grey let out a sigh. Everyone had seen the same video since early elementary school. It was more iconic than the 'I Have a Dream' speech, the JFK assassination, and moon landing footage combined, but he had hoped he would be seeing less of it now that he was in high school. But with 'next week' coming up everyone was in a Pokémon craze, and though it normally wasn't a big deal Grey was starting to find all the excitement tiring.

Of course, his friends were no help. The two gathered with him for lunch at the top of the stairwell like they had done every day for the past year. One of them was the girl who had also spoken up in class, Amber Vanna. She was the ideal 'girl next door', with feather-like brown hair and honey colored eyes. Amber got along with just about everyone and was a member of the school track team, which made her just sporty enough to be a fun, competitive person.

Cole Dunstan was Grey's other friend, as well as the hothead of the group. He was the only person who could get Grey to do something he didn't want to do and constantly teased him about something or other. Cole was also the most mature physically, as he was broad shouldered and tall (a fact he wouldn't let Grey live down). The three of them had been childhood friends since meeting in early elementary school.

And just like everyone else, these two were abuzz with this exciting worldwide event. They chatted animatedly amongst themselves, their loyal Pokémon by their side. Cole had Jack, the somewhat mischievous Poochyena, while Amber had Zuri, the ever skittish Ralts. Grey, as usual, had no Pokémon to keep him company as he stayed out of the conversation.

"So you got in?" Amber asked Cole, too worked up to even touch her lunch. Zuri mirrored her emotions and likewise was unable to eat his rawst berries as he listened with bubbling excitement. "That's so cool!"

Cole, who didn't share Amber's eating disposition, swallowed a mouthful of ham sandwich before continuing. "Yeah, they sent me the badge this morning." With a self-important flourish, he flashed a card with a shiny gold PLA emblem and his ID photo. "I'm officially a participant of the first ever Pokémon League!"

Starting up the Pokémon League was something all the trainers had been looking forward to for a very long time, but it was only recently that the PLA (Pokémon League of America) was able to get such a big event set up. At that very moment anyone who wanted to be a Pokémon trainer was scrambling to sign up for this once in a lifetime event that was just a week away.

Grey allowed his friend a congratulatory smile but found it hard to work up the energy. He had never really been interested in Pokémon battling, or Pokémon at all for that matter, so having to listen for weeks about the first upcoming Pokémon League was getting tiring. Really, he would much rather have talked about something else.

Amber continued, not noticing her friend's discomfort. "Your parents are really okay with you taking a year off of school? Mine are still completely against the idea…"

"It counts towards my GPA, so my grades won't slide," he explained. "It's like being a foreign exchange student."

She pouted just a little and Zuri responded to the sudden mood change in turn. "Lucky! I wish my birthday wasn't a month away, then I could go with you…"

Cole smiled and tried to comfort her. "Hey, they'll still be accepting applications for six more months! You can start late and catch up with me in no time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Amber smiled back, feeling a little better. She looked at Grey, remembering something. "I still don't get why you don't want to go, Grey. You turn sixteen on the day it starts, so you could start with Cole. It would be fun if it was the three of us, right?"

Grey shrugged. "I've told you a million times, I'm just not into Pokémon battling. You and Cole would be better off without me."

Cole sighed. "I swear, you're the only person I know who doesn't like Pokémon battling. It's just unnatural, you're like an old man."

"Am not," he replied, getting annoyed. "I'm entitled to my own opinion."

"It's unhealthy for a guy your age," continued Cole. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure? I bet that by the end of this week I'll convince you to come with us."

"Good luck with that," sighed Grey. "I'm fine studying here on my own and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise."

"It's a challenge I'm willing to accept!" grinned his friend, slapping him hard on the back.

Grey winced, but couldn't help laughing. "I never said I was challenging you, but if by some miracle you get me into the League I'll buy you lunch for a year."

"Deal!"

Just then the bell rang and the three went to their next class, Grey's bad mood temporarily forgotten.


End file.
